Bleach OneWord 50Prompts
by keeper of most knowledge
Summary: 50 oneshots based around the characters of Bleach. Romance, angst, love, betrayal and bits of randomness ensue. Warning: Set in mildly alternate universe. Spoilers to current manga chapters.
1. Dance

Bleach OneWord  
50Prompts

1. "Dance"

It was a beautiful evening in the living world, and the sound of Spanish guitars floated out of an old tape deck. Sado Yasutora was leaning back against a brick wall, his shirt absent, brown skin bearing a faint sheen of sweat. He looked up at the fading sky through his mop of chocolate hair, marvelling at the interplay of colours. For a moment, he closed his eyes, and he remembered Mexico. The women and men who danced for no reason apart from dance itself, laughing and smiling with the sheer unadulterated joy of life.

Then he heard footsteps, and his reminiscent spell ended. As he opened his eyes, he recognised the petite figure of Arisawa Tatsuki, and more solid shape of Naitana Aikeru. The two had become fast friends after Aikeru had transferred from a foreign school, mainly because of the shared interest in martial arts. Aikeru noticed him first, her hazel eyes widening fractionally.

"Oh, sorry Sado – san, we didn't notice you..." Tatsuki said, turning to leave. "Naitana – san, I'll see you tomorrow, ok?" With that comment, she left, leaving Aikeru alone with Chad. Aikeru, nervous at being alone with the giant, scuffled her feet gently against the concrete. Chad raised himself up silently, and padded over to where Aikeru stood, and ran his fingers over the intricate braiding that contained her unruly hair. She contained an unusual beauty, and she intrigued him. He had liked her from the moment he'd seen her, and now he was alone with her. So he did the logical thing.

"Dance with me, Aikeru – san?" She looked up at him, gazed into his expressive eyes and grinned.

"I'd like that, Yasutora – san." And they danced, to the rich sound of the Spanish guitars, moving to the soul of the music, tracing out steps that have existed since time immemorial, legs interlacing, turning, flowing like water, her arms wound around his strong waist, his hands bunched in her loose shirt, hazel eyes meeting chocolate as they swayed, oblivious to the world. They finished in a deep dip, his mouth millimetres from his, her back bent at an obscene angle over his muscled thigh, her right leg thrown over his waist in an attempt to not fall over.

Aikeru's eyes flickered over to the prominent tattoo on his left shoulder, in an attempt to delay, if not stop the inevitable kiss. She knew Chad desired her, it was obvious to anyone who was as experienced at reading body language as herself.

"_Amore e morte_? Love and death... That's fitting..." Was all she had time to murmur before Chad captured her lips in a kiss, as chaste and innocent as a hormonally driven teenage kiss could be.

_Heh... Maybe life in the real world isn't so bad after all..._

* * *

**AN: **DON'T SHOOT THE AUTHOR! Right, now that we've gotten that bit over and done with, I'll explain why I chucked in an OC. Naitana Aikeru is one of the _original_ Arrancar, the ones who removed their masks out of their own volition, not by Aizen (they do exist!), and she was formerly a Captain in the Gotei Thirteen. She escaped to Karakura, and thanks to _geta-boushi_, now owns a gigai, and is keeping an eye on said town. So, obviously, this is set in a non - canon universe.  
Review and I'll give out cookies! *grin* Please bear with the abysmal writing, it's taking a while to get back into the swing of things.


	2. Stars

Bleach OneWord

50Prompts

2. "Stars"

Komamura Saijin had always loved the night time. When he'd been in the academy, the night was the only time that he had been able to truly escape the incessant rumours that surrounded his kitsune - ish appearance. That was also why he was with Tousen Kaname. Being blind, he couldn't understand why others made all this fuss over his friend, but he didn't like it. Not at all. Which is why he was now seeking out Komamura, trying to trace his reiatsu, and having a difficult time of it. After falling over what felt like the hundredth tree root in five minutes, he gave in to himself, and called out.

"Komamura, could you come and give me a hand?" He knew the other was _somewhere_ round here, he just didn't know where... Quite rapidly, however, Tousen heard Komamura's footsteps moving quite quickly towards him, moving closer and closer until he was lifted bodily up from his sprawled position on the ground. Large hands moved over his robes, presumably removing bits of dirt and leaves that had stuck to him, but they elicited an intake of breath, especially when those hands moved dangerously close to his eyes, and onto his eyelids, removing minuscule particles of forest loam from those dark lashes.

"Tousen, what are you doing out here?" Komamura asked, his voice unhindered. Tousen looked upwards to where Komamura's head was, and smiled.

"I hadn't seen you all day, and I was wondering where you had gone." Komamura winced, he hadn't realised his disappearance had caused such a stir amongst the student body. He had a good reason for it, though. He just couldn't handle the stress of hearing the half – whispered gossip and rumour being spread around, every day.

"I just..." He let out a sigh. Why procrastinate? It would feel better to tell Tousen. He hoped.

"I was looking at the stars in the night sky." Tousen looked mildly saddened. Komamura facepalmed, he should have known better than to mention stuff involving sight in front of his friend.

"Can I sit with you?" Tousen asked quietly. Komamura didn't speak, instead picking up his friend, passing his muscular arms around Tousen's shoulders and under his knees, before lifting gently. Tousen started in surprise, before leaning into Komamura's shoulder, one hand fisted in his robe front. He could hear every strong beat of Komamura's heart, feel the air moving into his lungs, relish in the sensation of well – developed muscles moving, flexing against his side.

Komamura moved into the darkness, sensitive eyes easily picking up the path in the gloom. He moved easily, feeling almost at home, here in forest. In a matter of moments, the two were in a glade, hidden from the rest of Seireitei. His pace slowed to a walk, as Komamura approached the gentle rise in the center of the clearing. Tousen shifted as Komamura sat down, moving so his back rested against Komamura's chest.

"Can you... describe the stars for me, ...Saijin? Please?" Komamura looked down at his friend, nestled in his lap, and gently ran a hand over Tousen's arm.

"Sure, Kaname." It would have been impossible to miss the smile that spread over Kaname's face as he said those words.

"Let's see... The stars are little pinpricks of light, kinda of like tiny reiatsu flashes. They're arranged in patterns, like a... weaving or something. Some are brighter than others, and some of them are surrounded by little clouds, like how you use your reiatsu..."

"So, stars are like reiatsu?" Saijin let out a low chuckle, and Kaname shivered, he'd felt that chuckle ripple through his body like a stone dropped in a pond.

"Yeah, kinda.."

The conversation carried on in this vein for a while before Kaname asked,

"Why were you hiding today? You can't see stars in the day time, I presume." Saijin turned his head away, it was hard to avoid Kaname's questions, as he hated to lie to his best friend, however, he had no idea as to how Kaname would react when he found out that his best friend really resembled a fox more than a human.

"Is it to do with what the others talk about, the rumour and gossip.?" Kaname turned around so he was facing Saijin, and reached out a hand to where he thought Saijin's head would be, but it was gently caught before contact could be made.

"Kaname, I'm not..." Saijin sighed, it'd feel better to just get this over with, and pray for the best, so he guided Kaname's hand to his face, feeling them gently smooth over the short, silky fur, tracing the contours and planes of his face. Kaname's face turned from questioning to mildly shocked to finally, intrigued, as he felt out a snout, low forehead, and ears? He gently felt one, feeling the velveteen texture underneath his fingertips, before running his fingers over to where he thought the other one was, and was rewarded by feeling the soft fur under his sensitive fingers. Saijin could barely breathe as Kaname's gentle hands swept forward, tracing out the length of his jaw, trailing lightly over his whiskers, to under his chin, down the structure of his neck, feeling the folds of skin.

Kaname was fascinated to hear Saijin's breathing quicken as he leant forward, inhaling the peculiar, yet not unpleasant scent that was uniquely Saijin, luxuriating in the plush feel against his face. Deft hands slipped inside Saijin's robe, curiously searching, wondering in how far the fur covered. Larger hands gently stopped the roving hands.

"Please, Kaname... I don't want to.." Saijin's voice was rough and husky in Kaname's ear, pleading with him to stop this pleasurable torture. He wasn't sure what on earth Kaname was doing to him, but it was pushing the boundary between being able to restrain himself, and giving into his urges. Kaname wasn't making it easy on him, either. Those hands were so gentle, it should be a sin.

"Just relax.." Murmured Kaname, as those knowledgeable hands slipped the shihakushou off his broad shoulders, baring his furred upper body to the world. Saijin just stared as Kaname blushed a deep red, shrugging off his own shihakushou, baring his dusky upper body.

"Kaname, what are you doing...?" Saijin's question was answered when Kaname leant against him, revelling in the feel of his fur against his bare skin, imprinting the feel into his body. Saijin's throat had gone dry, and he didn't exactly know why. He lay back gently, wrapping his arms around the smaller shinigami – in – training, and gazed up at the stars, feeling Kaname snuggle into his chest.

"Good night, Kaname." He murmured, not wanting to move, for once, not feeling like the outcast he once was. A sleepy, "Night Saijin..." echoed up from the figure on his chest.

Slowly, Saijin drifted off, cradling Kaname.

_Yes... The stars are truly beautiful, and I can share their beauty..._

* * *

**AN:** Aww... Komamura/Tousen fluff! Yay for the Fox - man. Apart from that, this is quite possibly one of the hardest oneshots I've ever written. I haven't exactly written anything with a blind person in it before, but I hope that I did Tousen justice. Note: The 'shihakushou' is the outfit of a shinigami (Thanks to the Bleach Wikia!).

REVIEW SHOUT OUT: Thank you to larkinlover, MY FIRST REVIEWER! I did try to portray Chad's past and character accurately with the amount of knowledge that I know about him, and you make me feel like I succeeded! Thanks! *hug*


	3. Love

Bleach OneWord

50Prompts

3. "Love"

She had been drunk. He remembered it well. He'd gone out to his usual bar, and found his Nanao – chan there, face pleasantly flushed with the glow of alcohol.

"Shunsui!" She'd exclaimed, from where she was precariously perched upon some strange man's knee. He'd gone over and picked her bodily up and off the lap, glaring down any complaints, before walking out of the bar. They were half – way there, when she'd stumbled so badly that he'd had to pick her up, lest she fall over. He'd swung her up, into the protective circle of his arms. They'd managed to make the final few blocks like that, and had gotton inside her apartment before she'd murmured in his ear,

"I love you, Kyouraku Shunsui." He almost dropped her, and then looked at her in shock. Her amethyst eyes were clear, and strong, and she'd reached up and removed her glasses at some point.

"I haven't been brave enough to say it before, but... I love you. Truly. I know I probably won't remember this, but... I know you will." And something in that tone of voice told his it wasn't just the alcohol, that it was something deeper, and that she was sad that it had to be like this.

Shunsui had known that she had liked him, if he hadn't, he wouldn't have kept up with his ridiculously flowery propositions and declarations of love. He started as a small hand pressed against his cheek, turning his head, before a warm pair of lips pressed themselves to his, melding together quite pleasantly. Although the first taste he had of his Nanao, was overwhelmingly sake, as he deepened the kiss, he began to discern tastes of jasmine, and a hint of human world perfume. Chanel No. 5, if he remembered correctly. As the need for air grew more pressing, he drew back, smiling a little at the mewling sounds his Nanao made.

"Now, Nanao, you need all the sleep you can get." She'd smiled at him, breaking his heart.

"Will you stay with me?" That hopeful question broke his will, and shattered his heart. He couldn't take advantage of her now, she had to face up to her feelings whilst sober, and so, as much as he wanted to, he couldn't.

"Nanao... I can't." He stepped forward, into her bedroom, feeling her falling asleep in his arms. He placed her on her futon, gently undressed her, ridding her of the stained yukata, and re-dressing her in her nightgown. As he tucked her in, he couldn't help but be reminded of when she had just started in his division, just before Lisa's betrayal, when Lisa would take the time to tuck in this tiny girl, and read to her, until she fell asleep.

After Lisa had left, he'd taken up that nighttime ritual, he'd held Nanao when she was still Nanao – chan, and she cried, because she thought that she had been the reason for Lisa's leaving. To this day, even he didn't know why. And then... Shunsui stopped that train of thought. He would NOT go there, not when he had his Nanao to look over and protect.

She was still so innocent, he decided. Far too innocent to be left alone, in such a state. So he sat, seiza – style, by her futon, and, with the patience accumulated over two millennia, Kyouraku Shunsui waited. As he would, until his Ise Nanao would face him, sober. And he could wait another millennia, if he had to. Such was his love.

* * *

**AN:** Hi! Sorry that this took so long, but school has now started, and I have been determined to spread attention around to ALL of my fics, and so please expect that updates will be sporadic. Also, I apologise in advance for any mistakes in tense, spelling, or grammar that you may find. It's currently 9.25pm, I have school tomorrow, and I've been working on this solidly for at least an hour. So I hope you enjoy! This has been my attempt to accurately portray a ShuNao pairing. I hope you liekd it!

Again, I have had a wonderful review from **larkinlover**! It could be taken as a shounen - ai couple, but I intended it to be viewed as more of a close friendship, than a pairing. Hope that made sense XD My brain has meeelteedd... o.O' As ye command, I update! Albeit veeery sloowly... *hands out cookie* Thank you for reviewing!

**Edit:** Gah, I re - read this when I got to school and found some absolutely glaring grammar and spelling mistakes. I'M SORRY! I'm currently my own beta, so any mistakes I make generally go unnoticed until I re - read it. Thank you also to **larkinlover** and **gagboy** for reviewing already! You know what's terrifying? We're only about two weeks into February, and I've gotton 84 hits on this story! Thank you to all who read!


	4. Romance

Bleach OneWord

50 Prompts

4. "Romance"

Ishida Uryuu was watching the transfer student Naitana Aikeru out of the corner of his eye. She puzzled him, because he could feel a strong, developed reiatsu coming from her, yet she didn't seem to be aware of his status of a Quincy. He knew she wasn't a Quincy, and he had no doubt that she wasn't a shinigami, so what was she? She was currently sitting on a desk, one leg dangling carefree as she leafed through her book. And he continued to watch as Inoue Orihime bounced over, spouting pleasantries and greetings, and Aikeru responded in kind, a smile crossing her face. Ishida's attention switched as he watched Orihime animatedly describe something that had happened to her on the weekend, or some such thing. He continued to watch as Arisawa Tatsuki walked in and over to the duo. He could hear her words clearly.

"So, Aikeru… What happened with Chad the other day? You didn't show at training." Ishida was pretty sure that the entire class had heard, and from what he knew, Aikeru was quasi – religious about attending those daily martial arts sessions. As he looked on, a faint blush spread over Aikeru's nose and cheeks, confirming that something had indeed happened between the gentle giant and this confusing mystery.

What confused Ishida was that Inoue and Arisawa suffered heavy blushes of their own before exchanging a significant glance. Orihime blushed more heavily and seized one of Aikeru's hands, Tatsuki taking charge of the other, and started to steer Naitana out of the room, much to her apparent annoyance.

They'd managed to get to the doorway before Aikeru literally ran into Chad. The entire room paused, and waited to see what would happen, even Ichigo and his merry band of womanisers showed interest. Aikeru swallowed heavily, before slowly looking upwards, her gaze meeting with Chad's. You could practically see the sparks flying off the two; it was obvious that something significant had happened between the two.

A large hand came up and cupped Aikeru's flushed face, tilting it upwards, as Chad's body bent forward slightly (Aikeru was quite tall, after all), and he planted a KISS ON AIKERU'S LIPS, before murmuring,

"Ohayo gozaimasu, Aikeru – san." _Wait, wait wait!_ Ishida thought. _You don't kiss someone good morning, and then add '-san' to their name! It just isn't done! Wait, no. That's not the way I'd do it._ His obsidian gaze flickered over to Orihime, and a faint blush graced Uryuu's cheeks. _No, not at all..._

* * *

It was third period, and they were meant to be outside, playing soccer, however it had started raining rather heavily about an hour ago, and so they were in a sports hall, looking on in disbelief as their teacher told them that they would be learning how to dance, more specifically, they would be learning how to dance the waltz.

"Now, my students, who here already knows how to waltz?" Asked their teacher. Ishida raised his hand, lowering his head at the same time. He doubted anybody else knew how perform this archaic dance.

"Excellent.. We have two dancers! Inoue, Ishida, would you please come out here?" Ishida almost gave himself whiplash from turning around so quickly. Sure enough, Inoue had her hand half – way, almost as if she was feeling painfully shy.

"Would you two please come forward?" Taecha – sensei repeated, a small vein beginning to throb on the side of her head. Honestly, you'd think those two hated each other, or something. The two students stepped forward, and assumed the beginning stance for a waltz, and then immediately broke apart again.

"Aah. Taecha – sensei, do you have music?" Ishida murmured, fighting off a heavy blush. Out of the corner of his glasses he could see Tatsuki facepalming at the idiocy of their substitute teacher. Soon, Taecha had come back, and they moved back into position.

Inoue was acutely aware of how close they had to be to dance, but she still fidgeted slightly as Ishida's hand clasped her's and breathed in deeply as his other hand grasped her slim waist. She shuffled forward a little, until their chests almost met. _Ishida – kun looks so composed,_ Orihime thought dazedly. _He's quite handsome, too..._

Contrary to popular belief, Uryuu didn't feel composed at all. His hands were sweating, his glasses were slipping down his face, and he could almost feel Orihime's hair slipping through his fingers. _No! Bad Ishida!_ He scolded himself. _Get a grip!_ And then the music started.

He vaguely remembered the name of the song, but that was lost as he and his _hime_ started to dance, the one – two – three, one – two – three rhythm flowing easily into his limbs, onyx eyes meeting amber, as the beautiful chords of 'River Flows in You' sliding around them, saturating the air with romantic possibilities as they stepped and turned, Orihime's lengthy locks moving gently as time seemed to slow, and the world seemed to contract, until it was just Uryuu and Orihime, just two people, all pretences and shields stripped away, until it was just a boy and a girl, alone, and in some sort of love.

The song ended all too soon for his liking, and she slipped out of his grasp. Ishida was left, alone and standing in the middle of the floor. He was being applauded, and lauded, yet why did he feel bereft? In the crowd of students, his eyes slid to another's: Naitana Aikeru. He could see in her eyes the same feeling of loss, and a dull, aching pain.

He watches as she mouth words at him: _'Try harder, since when has a Quincy backed down from a challenge?'_ That's when he knew that Aikeru _knew_. That she knew, and that she didn't care. That she knew how he felt, the pain, the loneliness, the utter and abject _hate_ towards someone that didn't care if she lived or died.

And he thought that _his_ life was screwed up.

* * *

**AN:** Sorry, sorry, I know, I fail at rapid updates, but I think I have an idea of where this thing is going now. I LOVE TWILIGHT'S SOUNDTRACK. Gah, I had no idea with what song to write their waltz to, but eventually listened to "River Flows In You - Esme's Song" by Yiruma, and thought, wow. This is great. Thanks also goes to Leonard Cohen's fantastic songwriting ability. Without "Democracy", "Take This Waltz", and "There Ain't No Cure For Love", this chapter wouldn't be here, and I'd be majorly stressing.

REVIEW SHOUTOUTS AND THANK-YOUSE (yes, that is intentionally spelt wrong): **larkinlover**, as always, thank you for your wonderful insight. Gah, when I now re-read my works, they're all kinda melancholy. ESPECIALLY the last few paragraphs, writing them broke my heart. And my brain. I think it was something like 10PM by the time I'd finally posted, so thank you all for putting up with my mistakes.  
**Gagboy**, nice to see that others like to read my writing. (I think it's weird, myself, but meh.) If you have any ideas for pairing, just PM me, and I'll try my best.  
MASSIVE SHOUTOUT AND LOVE TO ALICE - SEMPAI! I sat down this afternoon with her and showed her both the start of Turn Back The Pendulum and this, and she thought it was fantastic, so, thank you very much, sempai! Hugs also to my new beta, Alenna - chan who reads over my work, points out wrong stuff that doesn't fit, and laughs/cries/winces at what I produce. So thank you to everyone who bothers to read this.

Gah. I get so sentimental sometimes! And.. EPIC AUTHOR'S NOTE IS LOOONG


	5. Morose

Bleach OneWord

50Prompts

5. "Morose"

Komamura Saijin, 8th Seat of the 10th Division, stood in the doorway to Aikeru's quarters. He let out a deep sigh, before sliding open the shogi door, and stepping inside. He looked around quickly, ascertaining that no one was near, before removing his bucket – like helmet and placing it on the ground. His eyes adjusted rapidly, and he scanned the interior, searching... There it was! Aikeru's prize possession, an upright piano, still open and with sheet music resting on the top. He removed his gloves, and sat down carefully, just as she'd shown him, before picking up the first piece of sheet music.

It just happened to be the first piece that Aikeru had taught him. It had no title, but she called it "River Flows in You" because it had sounded appropriate. He played the first few notes, and then paused, refamilarising himself with the keys. He started to play again, paused and then continued, letting his body surrender to the grief and pain. Tears started to cloud his vision, but he continued on, his hands on autopilot as he cried, tears rolling down his snout and dropping onto the keys.

He would never be able to forget her, but maybe now he could release some of the pain. As Aikeru said, the best cure for everything is to let go. Let go of the pain, the sorrow, the anger, the disappointment. Just let it go, because you'll be poisoned otherwise.

* * *

It was a day of mourning in Seireitei. The clouds of deepest grey shrouded the sky in a mantle of sadness, and Kurosaki – fukutaichou was elbow deep in paperwork. He sighed, this was completely unfair. His captain had been killed, and he was grading new recruits! _Aikeru – taichou…_ Unbidden, an image of his brunette captain rose to the fore of his mind. Her hair, usually braided and bound, was loose, reaching almost to her ankles, swirling round her white and purple yukata. Keen hazel eyes perused a scroll balanced on a propped up knee. Ukitake – taichou was leaning against her leg, playing with a strand of chestnut hair, and murmuring the occasional comment to his kouhai.

She'd been a mother to all of them, and had somehow even knocked sense into Zaraki – taichou, which was a feat in itself. And now… she was dead. Poor Komamura – kun had discovered her body, run through with her own sword. Hakumei no Hikari was one sword, not split into two as he had expected. What ever he did, he couldn't wipe the image of her terrified visage from his mind. Kidou scorch marks had decorated the ground, and numerous craters littered the area, a sure sign that Aikeru had put up a major struggle against her assailant.

But still... She was gone, and moping wouldn't help with that. Aikeru – taichou had helped him to achieve Bankai, in the knowledge that she would one day die, and he would have to lead the 10th Division in her stead. Isshin laughed, a hollow sound the echoed off the bare walls of his office. He just hadn't expected that day to come so soon.

As he sat in silence, he could hear a piano being played. _Poor Komamura – kun,_ he thought._ This has been harder on him than it has been on anybody else._

* * *

As the rich sound of piano music drifted out of 10th Division barracks, Kusajishi Yachiru, Vice – Captain of the 11th Division turned, and yelled at Ayasegawa Yumichika,

"What do you mean, she's DEAD? She can't be, she promised me, she promised..." Eyes wide with disbelief, she rounded on Zaraki Kenpachi, and half – sobbed,

"Please, Ken – chan, tell me that Aikeru's alive, PLEASE!" Kenpachi didn't say anything, his countenance as still as stone. It broke his heart to see Yachiru like this, but she had to learn that death eventually comes to all, even the most powerful. On seeing this expression, Yachiru broke down, collapsing into a heap on the ground, wracking sobs issuing from her small body.

"She can't be, she can't be, she promised me, she PROMISED me, she wouldn't be, she can't be!" The diminutive pinkette hauled herself to her feet, and yelled at the people in the room,

"YOU LIE!" Yachiru turned and ran, breaking several doors as she went. Madarame Ikkaku looked at the ground guiltily, he had been the one who had told Yumichika, who had told Kenpachi – taichou, and had been overheard by Yachiru. Yumichika himself looked like he was torn between running after Yachiru, and bursting into tears. And Kenpachi... Well, at this moment, he looked he was carved out of granite. They all knew how close Yachiru had been to Aikeru – taichou, she'd been like the mother that they had all needed.

Aikeru had fought with Kenpachi (and beaten him, shockingly), argued with Ikkaku over sake which game was better, poker or mah jong, compared kimono and hair tips with Yumichika and had been a mother/sister/nursemaid/playmate to Yachiru. In fact, it hadn't been uncommon for Yachiru to be seen over at the 10th Division, playing tag with Aikeru and Isshin – fukutaichou. (Mind, there had been a pact made, early on. No one was to ever, EVER teach Yachiru shunpo. The results would be too scarring. She was terrifyingly fast without it, anyway)

In short, there was now a gaping hole in their lives where the caring figure of Naitana Aikeru had once stood.

* * *

Yachiru had run until her legs couldn't support her anymore. She collapsed in a boneless heap in front of a very surprised Ise Nanao, 5th Seat of the 8th Division. Nanao crouched down in front of Yachiru, and stretched out a hand, gently touching her shoulder, and was promptly knocked off her feet as Yachiru hug – tackled her around the neck. Nanao's arms snaked around Yachiru, after a moment's hesitation. Nanao murmured quietly into Yachiru's ear,

"What happened?" Yachiru's tear – and snot – stained face turned up to look straight into Nanao's, and then wailed loudly,

"Aikeru is dead!" Shunsui would later swear that his heart stopped. Jyuushirou knew that his hands went numb, because he dropped the book he had been planning to show Nanao – chan. Shiba Kaien's reaction was slightly more dramatic. His knees gave out and he fell backwards, narrowly avoiding Matsumoto Rangiku's prone form. The busty 4th seat had fainted dead away upon hearing the announcement.

In short, almost all of Seireitei had now been notified that Naitana Aikeru was dead. Nanao's usually clear amethyst eyes had clouded over with tears. A choked sob escaped her throat; Aikeru had supported both her and Shunsui through the repercussions of Lisa's betrayal. The last link to her childhood was gone.

Next to Shunsui, Ukitake swayed violently, and stumbled. Kyouraku automatically reached out and pulled Jyuushirou to him. Concerned hazel eyes gazed down worriedly at forest green orbs, widened in horror, and Ukitake rasped out,

"I can't feel her... She's gone, I can't feel her reiatsu, she's really gone... Oh my god..." That's when it all just went to pieces.

* * *

Aizen Sousuke was doing paperwork, when Momo Hinamori, a new member of his division, came thudding into his office, bowed hastily, and then said,

"Aizen – taichou, I heard that Aikeru – taichou… That she's dead!" Aizen looked up at the distraught girl over his glasses, put down his pen, and stood up. He moved around the desk, and crouched in front of the puffy – eyed girl, and put his hand on her shoulder.

"It will be all right, Hinamori. Just let it out." The small girl collapsed forwards onto her knees, and buried her streaming eyes into her Captain's haori.

Once Hinamori's gaze had been successfully averted, Aizen let his patented Good Guy™ act drop, and a malicious smirk spread across his face.

_All is going exactly to plan... Ahahahaa...._ And then Hinamori's arms contracted painfully tight around cracked ribs, forcing him to suppress a whimper of pain. Okay then, not _quite_ exactly to plan. He'd have to get those fixed, and soon.

* * *

**AN**: I'm baaack! Did you miss me? Good gods in heaven above, this chapter took a while. But it's here now, and that's good! Aren't you people lucky? Two updates in one day!

**Reviews: **OMG we have a new reviewer! Welcome **SunsetRainbow**! Good to know that you liek the fluff - balls that I liek to write. **larkinlover**, as always, thank you for your review. Good to know that other people like Uryuu - kun! The dancing was awkward to write, as well, because I've never written a waltz before (or danced one . .) Thank you! I'm trying to use my betas as much as possible, (I bet they're getting tired of me now!) so I hope that my writing is improving.

See you next chapter!


	6. Displeased

Bleach OneWord

50 Prompts

6. "Displeased"

Sarugaki Hiyori had never been a morning person, and this morning was no different. Although she'd narrowly escaped execution, been Hollowfied, and had escaped Soul Society, Hiyori still hated mornings. The last couple of days had been absolutely gruelling, she'd been made to control her inner hollow, and that had taken over 60 hours. Every bone, every tendon, every muscle in her body ached. She'd never been more desperate for sleep than now. She growled at her state of wakefulness, and burrowed deeper into her pillow, revelling into the soft warmth that surrounded her.

Hiyori breathed deeply, inhaling a scent that her sleep – addled brain almost recognised. Had she realised who her pillow was, she probably would've bolted upright and run away, but instead, lead – heavy lids gently drifted closed, and she slipped back off into slumber.

* * *

Hirako Shinji, on the other hand, very much liked mornings. He liked watching the sun rise above the buildings, and colour the land. He was already awake, although still sleepy when he heard Hiyori growl and felt her burrow into his bare chest. His arms tightened reflexively around her, holding this tiny girl, no, _woman_, to him, luxuriating in the feeling of their hearts beating in time. Shinji looked down, gazing at the mass of hair that tumbled from the former Vice Captain's crown, tresses the colour of ripened wheat falling loose from her usual pig – tails.

He could understand why she didn't want to wake up, little Hiyori had spent the longest time subduing her Inner Hollow, and she was exhausted. He was too, and so were all the other Vaizards. Shinji squirmed a little, Hiyori was breathing on a rather... _sensitive_ piece of flesh. He felt, rather than heard, a low chuckle that came from Hiyori's chest.

"So you are awake..." He murmured darkly. She cracked open one teal eye and grinned up at him.

"Even in sleep, you enjoy torturing me, you minx." Mind you, he wasn't really complaining. That seemed to be her purpose in life, annoying him. He'd accepted that a long time ago.

He looked on as Hiyori sat up, her behind resting on his hips, _damnit, why me?_ He asked the gods. _What did I do in a former life to deserve this kind of treatment?_ He couldn't tear his eyes away as she stretched, languorously and cat – like, arching her back, and tilting back her head, letting her wheaten hair fall back, gently caressing her back. He belatedly realised that she was only wearing a sports bra and trackpants. He himself was bare – chested. Shinji could hear his Inner Hollow chuckling darkly, _**'Why don't you give in? I'm sure she'd taste real nice...**__'_

Shinji sat up abruptly, bringing himself face – to – face with the source of his displeasure/temptation. He breathed in, and out (Only to find that he had inhaled more of her delicious scent, dang it), before almost growling,

"Hiyori, please get off me. You're driving me insane." He wasn't surprised, however, when she threw an arm around his neck, pulling him closer, if that was possible. Her eyes glittered with dangerous possibilities, drawing him in. She was moving closer to him, an inexorable, irreversible, inevitable force of nature.

"But what if I want to join you in insanity?" Her lips were millimeters away from his, tempting, deadly. Her breath ghosted over his lips, mixing and mingling with his. Shinji's hands drifted down to her slim waist, grasping the pale curves firmly, before pulling her off his lap, and placing her on the ground. He stood up rapidly, and walked out of the room, moving away from her.

"Shinji, where are you going?" Hiyori's voice stopped him in his tracks. He turned around slowly, his gaze seeking out that of Hiyori's.

"Hiyori, if I stayed..." His voice was low, husky, ardent with his desire for her. It sent tremors down her spine, and she could feel a liquid heat pool in her belly. She watched, enraptured as he walked, no, stalked back towards her. Her mouth went dry, she licked her lips unconsciously, her breathing sped up. He was kneeling in front of her now, a warm hand cupping her cheek, sending fire through her veins.

"I wouldn't be able to control myself... Or _him._" She could read it in every line of his body, every nuance of his speech. He was literally hovering on the knife edge of control. One more _push_ and he'd lose every semblance of humanity. Shinji swallowed deeply, gathering his courage, before he leant forwards, placing a lingering, hot kiss on her forehead. Hiyori watched, mesmerised as he moved backwards on his knees, stood up shakily, and walked out of the room.

She waited until he was out of sight, before letting go, a flood of tears flowing down her face. Only one thought was going through her mind.

_Is this... rejection?_

* * *

Shinji had controlled his pace, forcibly keeping himself to a walk, until he had rounded the corner of the corridor, before he let himself run, running from danger. His arm was grabbed by one Mugurama Kensei, which stopped him dead.

"Why're you running away from her?" Predictably blunt Kensei. Shinji shook his head.

"You're wrong, I'm not running from her, I'm running to _protect_ her." With that, Shinji ripped his arm out of Kensei's grip, and bolted out the door. Aikawa Love walked into the corridor, having heard the exchange.

"Why'd you let him go, Kensei?" The former 9th Division Captain looked at him, face haunted.

"His eyes..." They had been topaz on obsidian. Black and gold. The eyes of a Hollow.

* * *

**  
AN:** RAWRGH. I AM GOD. Two updates in one day, wow you guys are lucky. I sat down this morning after nearlyfinishing my Maths B assignment, and was like, right, I want to finish this! What did I do? I deleted the first paragraph that I'd written, and started again, because Alice - sempai said she wanted something featuring the devious duo that is Hirako Shinji and Sarugaki Hiyori. Hope you liek it, sempai! I'm also considering writing an Ouran Host Club oneshot, but I have FAAARR TOO much on my plate at the moment to do that. So I'll just keep updating this.

Bye for now!


	7. Dead

Bleach OneWord

50Prompts

7. "Dead"

It had all come down to this. Toushirou was staring down Halibel. Shunsui had drawn Katen Kyoukotsu and faced Stark. Barragan and Yamamoto stood across from each other. And then a Garganta opened, and Naitana Aikeru stepped through. All activity stopped as eyes focussed on the renegade Privaron Primera Espada. Her voice rang out, strong and clear.

"Aizen. I have the Hougyoko." With those words, Yamamoto's Joukaku Enjo collapsed and Aizen, Gin and Tousen stood free. Aikeru was already in her Resurreccion state, the familiar ridges of bone running down and over her body. She held up the small Orb, resting it in her bone encrusted palm. A smirk crossed Aizen's face, she was such a _good_ little lapdog. The smirk died as words rolled from her throat, completely blank.

"And I'm about to destroy it. I won't let Orihime – chan needlessly throw away her life, when I can substitute mine." A look of horror crossed Jyuushirou's face, she couldn't be contemplating – She _couldn't_, it was, it should be completely impossible...

Bone rasped on bone as one hand removed a bone sakabatou from it's organic sheath. Aikeru turned the sword so it was level with her shoulders, blade pointing outwards. She inhaled deeply, before uttering her death sentence.

"Immolate, Hakumei no Hikari." Her shikai initiated, familiar lights of orange and purple beginning to strobe around the blade, dissolving it, replacing it with currents of pulsating light that flowed around Aikeru's body. She bit her lip, the _pain_ was so intense, she could see why the hollows she had once hunted screamed as she unleashed her vengeance. Hakumei no Hikari, once released, had a unique property: The light eroded anything that was remotely Hollow – like.

"No..." Jyuushirou whispered, as she reformed the twin blades of Hakumei no Hikari, and placed the Hougyoko between the pommels, balancing the Orb carefully, as she shouted,

"BANKAI! GINJO NO HAKUMEI NO HIKARI!" Pure white light exploded outwards, looped around and attacked the Hougyoko. Aikeru whimpered as the light began to dissolve the bones encasing and protecting her, and started to erode _her_, from the inside out. She focussed once more on the Orb in front of her, willing the light to obey her command once more.

She squinted, so utterly absorbed in destroying this destroyer, that she didn't notice the arrival of Ichigo and company. She didn't see Chad's look of desperation, didn't hear Orihime scream, didn't feel anything. Her world had shrunk to the innocent – looking Orb in her disintegrating hands. Dimming eyes widened as a small crack appeared in the outer shell of the Hougyoko. She focused all of her willpower into that crack, forcing it to widen and spread.

With a crack that would rival thunder, the Hougyoko disintegrated, relenting under the inexorable pressure. Her bankai disappeared, wisping away from her broken and dying body. She managed to rasp out her final words as she collapsed backwards, falling towards the ground.

"Tou..shirou... I'm... sorry I never.... managed.... to tell you... I.." She was dead before her body hit the ground with a dull _thud_.

The last thing she was aware of was of a distraught and crying Jyuushirou being held back by Shunsui, who was visibly holding back tears...

* * *

Sado Yasutora blinked sleepily at the ceiling a few times before a muffled yell caught his attention. A concerned chocolate gaze slid to the girl lying beside him, before she bolted upright with a name on her lips. Normally calm hazel eyes were wide with terror and fear, and her hands were trembling badly. She was hyperventilating and a cold sweat ran down her back. Chad sat up, covers pooling around his naked hips, and wrapped a strong arm around her trembling form, pulling her in close, wrapping her in a comforting hug.

He could feel the rapid beating of her heart beneath his large hand, it was going nineteen to the dozen, throwing itself against her ribs in a desperate attempt to get free. He ran his hand gently over her back until her shivering stopped, and she returned his embrace.

"Another nightmare?" His bass voice sent comforting ripples through her soul. Aikeru swallowed heavily, and tucked her head underneath his chin, in reply. Chad lay back gently, still holding onto the fragile girl, cradling her to his chest. She turned her head to the side, letting the strong, steady sound of his heartbeat calm her down.

"Just another nightmare..." Aikeru buried her head into his chest, so Chad felt her last two words.

"... I hope..." With those words, she drifted back off to sleep. One thought still plagued his mind, one that often occurred around three am. _Aikeru, you're too young to have a child... Aren't you?_

* * *

**AN: **Ah God. This was the HARDEST oneshot to write so far. I award myself a grade of FAIL at descriptive writing. And I did imply several things, and if you can name all three, you'll get a slice of Death by Chocolate cake, with icecream! *dangles enticingly* I probably rewrote this about four times, and then picked this fail of a plot.

Please note: Updates will be extremely sparse for the next week or two, as I'm going off on Biol camp, and I've just recieved an Ancient Inquiry assignment, so I have less time to write. Apologies.

Reviews! Thank you to **larkinlover**, for your two lovely reviews! lol I nearly OD'd on my own writing skills when I uploaded two things in one day. Dance? What dance? I am still confused, that I am... *Kenshin ORO face* Yes, Aikeru - chan is an OC, and I have faaaaar too much fun weaving her into the Bleach storyline. I've killed her soo many time now, poor thing... lol, I think you'll find that my writing standard has decreased in this chapter. The eyes line, I had to go back and change, because I screwed up the word order, and then re - upload it. AARRGH!! T__T soo tired...  
Betaing is the process of getting someone to proofread your work before you upload, so that they can point out any glaring errors and omissions. aww, thank you for the compliment, but my beta's are really the ones to thank/blame for my work. (Well, not for this chapter. No Beta of mine has seen this chapter. Sorry Alenna - chan, no sneaky preview for you!)

Wow, yet another lengthy chapter. Hope you enjoy it, peoples!


	8. Tragedy

Bleach OneWord

50Prompts

8. "Tragedy"

She knew something had happened, when she stepped through the Senkaimon, and Yamamoto – Genryuusai - soutaichou was waiting for her. She unconsciously pulled her Captain's haori closer, as if to protect herself.

"Naitana – taichou. Did you see any other Shinigami whilst you were in the Human Realm? Several of our Captains and Vice – Captains have – " He didn't get a chance to finish before Aikeru bolted, pumping reiatsu into her legs, allowing her to move at speeds comparable to shunpo.

_Yamamoto – soutaichou and Sasakibe – fukutaichou were at the Senkaimon, so they haven't disappeared, so who's missing?_ Aikeru _leapt_ over the gates of the Second Division, pausing, and then calling,

"Yoruichi! Yoruichi, where are you?" A figure darted out of the shadows, it was Soifon – fukutaichou. The girl wore a ring of black braid around a finger, and looked rather unhappy.

"Yoruichi – sama isn't here – " But Aikeru had already left, bounding away over the fence, onwards, determined. Soifon let her head hang, looks like Yoruichi – sama really had abandoned her...

* * *

Third Division. Rose wasn't there. His fukutaichou told Aikeru that Rose was dead. Aikeru swore, and dodged away, onwards, to the Fourth.

Unohana – senpai met her there, in the courtyard, and encouraged her to rest for a few moments. A slim, unscarred hand rested on the distraught woman's shoulder. Retsu could see that Aikeru was holding back tears. A heavy sigh escaped the younger woman.

"Thank you, Retsu, but I must find out for myself, now, preferably. I – I have to kn – know." Unohana nodded, understanding her panic, and briefly enfolded Aikeru into a comforting embrace, before the brunette slipped away, using shunpo to dart onto the enclosing wall.

Expressive hazel eyes regarded the next division. The Fifth. Out of all people, she hoped that Shinji hadn't been one of the victims. However, upon landing, her worst fears were realised.

"Sousuke. Where is your taichou?" Aizen had the decency to look mildly saddened.

"My condolences." Aikeru nodded, chocolate braids sliding over her shoulders as she grabbed her wildly surging emotions, and stuffed them far away, deep inside.

"I suppose Kuchiki – taichou is well?" Aikeru seriously doubted the formidable old prune had kicked the bucket/left Soul Society/whatever had happened to the others.

"Yes, he is well." Aikeru nodded, and took a step towards the wall, before launching herself upwards, and she began run on top of the walls.

_I can't use reiatsu, because my control is shot. Good thing I'm in such good shape._ The gaps of roads posed no problem to the supremely fit 10th Division captain.

As she landed in a crouch inside the courtyard of the Seventh Division, she saw the current fukutaichou shake his head. Aikawa Love was also a casualty. She didn't even bother to stop, breaking into a run from her crouched position, and vaulted over the high walls with no apparent difficulty.

_Oh, gods, not Shunsui or Lisa, no, please nooo..._ The gates of the Eighth loomed before her. She broke them open with one expertly timed front kick, and jogged through, searching for the familiar shape of Kyouraku Shunsui, her longtime friend and sparring partner. She felt his reiatsu first, and let out a deep sigh of relief. She slowed to a fast walk, and quietly entered the offices of the Eighth. Aikeru followed the breathy trail of Shunsui's reiatsu, letting it guide her through the maze of paperwork to a small courtyard with a large sakura tree and a stream.

There was Shunsui, resplendent in his pink ("Pink is manly!" He'd told her once) haori, and straw hat. A small girl, Ise Nanao, if Aikeru's memory served her correctly, was curled in his lap, looking at a book. Or rather, looking a point past the book. Shunsui smoothed a large hand of Nanao's head, before asking quietly,

"What's the matter, Nanao – chan?" Nanao's lower lip trembled, and amethyst eyes glassed over with tears. _Oh, nooo..._

"Kyouraku – taichou... Did – did I make Lisa – san g – go away?" Her small voice trembled, and Aikeru felt her heart break, shatter irrevocably into a hundred pieces. Tears spilled from those watering eyes, and Nanao buried her head in her Captain's chest.

Aikeru turned and walked away silently, her emotions wilder than before. Onto the Ninth she walked. Out of any of the Gotei Thirteen, she thought that the Ninth would be the least affected. That wasn't the case when she walked in, however.

No Kensei. No Mashiro. In fact, the entire upper group of officers were gone, all the way down to 6th Seat Tousen Kaname. Once she'd made sure of that fact, she turned and fled. The 10th and 11th Divisions were fine, or so Tousen had shouted out after her.

* * *

"KISUKE! KISUKE! HIYOORI!" Kurotsuchi Mayuri turned and glared at the intruder into his lab. He toned down on it after seeing the obviously distraught 10th Division Captain's face, lined with worry and a thudding finality.

"Kisuke and the brat aren't here. Urahara was arrested on charges of Hollowfication, and apparently the brat was one of his experiments – " He was cut off with a vicious slap, his head snapping to the side. As he brought his head around slowly, he beheld the fury in Aikeru's eyes, and immediately regretted his words.

"They were Shinigami, Mayuri – _san_. Remember that. They were valuable people, and you of all people should recognise _that_." With those vitriol – laced words, Aikeru turned on her heel and stalked out of the Twelth Division. She maintained her composure until she reached the personal quarters of Ukitake Jyuushirou, Captain of the 13th.

Her white – haired confidant looked up at her finely formed features, and saw the fear, the horror, and the numbness, and asked Shiba Kaien,

"Would you be able to come back tomorrow?" Kaien nodded, and stepped away from the low table where they had been discussing the position of fukutaichou. As he walked out of the room, the younger man placed a hand on Aikeru's tense, journey – stained shoulder, and left in a burst of shunpo. Aikeru's hollow eyes watched him leave, and didn't even notice that Jyuushirou had moved until she was being embraced by the man, wrapped in his arms and surrounded by his familiar scent, that of the ocean and ozone.

Her knees, having carried her all that distance, collapsed out from underneath her, refusing to support her anymore. Jyuushirou folded down to the ground with her, letting her howl into his shoulder, trying to let it go, let it all go. Jyuushirou's slim hand ran over her braids soothingly, reassuring her, calming her. Aikeru's fists were knotted into his shihakushou, clutching to him like a drowning man clings to flotsam, her rock in the storm.

Deep wracking sobs still rocked her body when Retsu walked in, almost an hour later. A hand reached out and tapped Aikeru gently on the shoulder, before gathering Aikeru into her arms, letting the younger woman cling to her like she once clung to her mother. Retsu knew that it wasn't just the recent disappearances that was making Aikeru cry, but over three centuries worth of seeing people die, killing hollows, and cleansing souls. She was seemingly incapable of letting it all out unless there was some great tragedy, like this.

And what a tragedy it was.

* * *

**AN: **Holy mother of chickens, this was a long chapter! SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING! But I've been updating a lot of my other fics, so hopefully you haven't been too bored. Right. This chapter is right up there with the harder ones. I spent all biol camp thinking about the plot line, (Subsequently not finishing my work! eeep .) so when I got back I could just sit down and type it all out.  
I'm curious. How many people are actually reading my authors notes, and not just skimming straight through? I know I've been guilty of it in the past, but I'd like to think that you guys actually don't mind my varied ramblings. ONWARDS I SAY!

**Reviewers:** Hello once again to **larkinlover**, my most favourite (and regular) reviewer! Here is a third of a slice of Death by Chocolate cake! But one out of three ain't bad, no really!  
Here are what I had as the (More Than) Three Implications:

- Chad and Aikeru slept with each other  
- Aikeru is Toushirou's mother  
- Aikeru became a hollow and then an Espada (eventually), after being killed by Aizen around 50 years ago  
- That Aikeru regained her Captain – level Shinigami powers through some (as yet) unexplained ritual  
- That Jyuushirou and Aikeru were _very_ close *nudgenudge winkwink*

Don't worry about the head-nearly-exploding thingo, mine actually did when I went back and looked through all my previous chapters. IT BROKE MY BRAIN. But seriously, PAIRINGS. I need MOAR ideas and I need the NAO please. I have the pairing for the next chapter: it will be ShuuIsa! (Personally, I blame **philyra**'s fantastic Strictly Ballroom series for that) However, if anyone has requests for pairings/situations (they don't have to be het pairings either, but there's no guarantee they'll get in!) I will try to incorporate them as best as possible. Please make my life marginally easier and do so.

Ja ne! ~Keeps


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